The gain of rod phototransduction: reconciliation of biochemical and electrophysiological measurements.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
We have resolved a central and long-standing paradox in understanding the amplification of rod phototransduction by making direct measurements of the gains of the underlying enzymatic amplifiers. We find that under optimized conditions a single photoisomerized rhodopsin activates transducin molecules and phosphodiesterase (PDE) catalytic subunits at rates of 120-150/s, much lower than indirect estimates from light-scattering experiments. Further, we measure the Michaelis constant, Km, of the rod PDE activated by transducin to be 10 microM, at least 10-fold lower than published estimates. Thus, the gain of cGMP hydrolysis (determined by kcat/Km) is at least 10-fold higher than reported in the literature. Accordingly, our results now provide a quantitative account of the overall gain of the rod cascade in terms of directly measured factors.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Leskov, IB; Klenchin, VA; Handy, JW; Whitlock, GG; Govardovskii, VI; Bownds, MD; Lamb, TD; Pugh, EN; Arshavsky, VY
Published Date
- September 2000
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 27 / 3
Start / End Page
- 525 - 537
PubMed ID
- 11055435
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0896-6273
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1016/s0896-6273(00)00063-5
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States